As I sat in my room, trying to concentrate on the third act of Macbeth, I was really listening for my truck. I would have thought, even over the pounding rain, I could have heard the engineโs roar. But when I went to peek out the curtain โ again โ it was suddenly there.
I wasnโt looking forward to Friday, and it more than lived up to my non-expectations.
Of course there were the fainting comments. Jessica especially seemed to get a kick out of that story. Luckily Mike had kept his mouth shut, and no one seemed to know about Edwardโs involvement. She did have a lot of questions about lunch, though.
โSo what did Edward Cullen want yesterday?โ Jessica asked in Trig.
โI donโt know,โ I answered truthfully. โHe never really got to the point.โ โYou looked kind of mad,โ she fished.
โDid I?โ I kept my expression blank.
โYou know, Iโve never seen him sit with anyone but his family before. That was weird.โ
โWeird,โ I agreed. She seemed annoyed; she flipped her dark curls impatiently โ I guessed sheโd been hoping to hear something that would make a good story for her to pass on.
The worst part about Friday was that, even though I knew he wasnโt going to be there, I still hoped. When I walked into the cafeteria with Jessica and Mike, I couldnโt keep from looking at his table, where Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper sat talking, heads close together.
And I couldnโt stop the gloom that engulfed me as I realized I didnโt know how long I would have to wait before I saw him again.
At my usual table, everyone was full of our plans for the next day. Mike was animated again, putting a great deal of trust in the local weatherman who promised sun tomorrow.
Iโd have to see that before I believed it. But it was warmer today โ almost sixty. Maybe the outing wouldnโt be completely miserable.
I intercepted a few unfriendly glances from Lauren during lunch, which I didnโt understand until we were all walking out of the room together. I was right behind her, just a foot from her slick, silver blond hair, and she was evidently unaware of that.
โโฆdonโt know why Bellaโ โ she sneered my name โ โdoesnโt just sit with the Cullens from now on.โ
I heard her muttering to Mike. Iโd never noticed what an unpleasant, nasal voice she had, and I was surprised by the malice in it. I really didnโt know her well at all, certainly not well enough for her to dislike me โ or so Iโd thought. โSheโs my friend; she sits with us,โ Mike whispered back loyally, but also a bit territorially. I paused to let Jess and Angela pass me. I didnโt want to hear any more.
That night at dinner, Charlie seemed enthusiastic about my trip to La Push in the morning. I think he felt guilty for leaving me home alone on the weekends, but heโd spent too many years building his habits to break them now. Of course he knew the names of all the kids going, and their parents, and their great-grandparents, too, probably. He seemed to approve. I wondered if he would approve of my plan to ride to Seattle with Edward Cullen. Not that I was going to tell him.
โDad, do you know a place called Goat Rocks or something like that? I think itโs south of Mount Rainier,โ I asked casually.
โYeah โ why?โ
I shrugged. โSome kids were talking about camping there.โ
โItโs not a very good place for camping.โ He sounded surprised.โ Too many bears. Most people go there during the hunting season.โ
โOh,โ I murmured. โMaybe I got the name wrong.โ
I meant to sleep in, but an unusual brightness woke me. I opened my eyes to see a clear yellow light streaming through my window. I couldnโt believe it. I hurried to the window to check, and sure enough, there was the sun. It was in the wrong place in the sky, too low, and it didnโt seem to be as close as it should be, but it was definitely the sun. Clouds ringed the horizon, but a large patch of blue was visible in the middle. I lingered by the window as long as I could, afraid that if I left the blue would disappear again.
The Newtons โ Olympic Outfitters store was just north of town. Iโd seen the store, but Iโd never stopped there โ not having much need for any supplies required for being outdoors over an extended period of time. In the parking lot I recognized Mikeโs Suburban and Tylerโs Sentra. As I pulled up next to their vehicles, I could see the group standing around in front of the Suburban. Eric was there, along with two other boys I had class with; I was fairly sure their names were Ben and Conner. Jess was there, flanked by Angela and Lauren. Three other girls stood with them, including one I remembered falling over in Gym on Friday. That one gave me a dirty look as I got out of the truck, and whispered something to Lauren. Lauren shook out her cornsilk hair and eyed me scornfully.
So it was going to be one of those days. At least Mike was happy to see me.
โYou came!โ he called, delighted. โAnd I said it would be sunny today, didnโt I?โ
โI told you I was coming,โ I reminded him.
โWeโre just waiting for Lee and Samanthaโฆ unless you invited someone,โ Mike added.
โNope,โ I lied lightly, hoping I wouldnโt get caught in the lie. But also wishing that a miracle would occur, and Edward would appear.
Mike looked satisfied.
โWill you ride in my car? Itโs that or Leeโs momโs minivan.โ โSure.โ
He smiled blissfully. It was so easy to make Mike happy.
โYou can have shotgun,โ he promised. I hid my chagrin. It wasnโt as simple to make Mike and Jessica happy at the same time. I could see Jessica glowering at us now.
The numbers worked out in my favor, though. Lee brought two extra people, and suddenly every seat was necessary. I managed to wedge Jess in between Mike and me in the front seat of the Suburban. Mike could have been more graceful about it, but at least Jess seemed appeased.
It was only fifteen miles to La Push from Forks, with gorgeous, dense green forests edging the road most of the way and the wide Quillayute River snaking beneath it twice. I was glad I had the window seat. Weโd rolled the windows down โ the Suburban was a bit claustrophobic with nine people in it โ and I tried to absorb as much sunlight as possible.
Iโd been to the beaches around La Push many times during my Forks summers with Charlie, so the mile-long crescent of First Beach was familiar to me. It was still breathtaking. The water was dark gray, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the gray, rocky shore. Islands rose out of the steel harbor waters with sheer cliff sides, reaching to uneven summits, and crowned with austere, soaring firs. The beach had only a thin border of actual sand at the waterโs edge, after which it grew into millions of large, smooth stones that looked uniformly gray from a distance, but close up were every shade a stone could be: terra-cotta, sea green, lavender, blue gray, dull gold. The tide line was strewn with huge driftwood trees, bleached bone white in the salt waves, some piled together against the edge of the forest fringe, some lying solitary, just out of reach of the waves.
There was a brisk wind coming off the waves, cool and briny. Pelicans floated on the swells while seagulls and a lone eagle wheeled above them. The clouds still circled the sky, threatening to invade at any moment, but for now the sun shone bravely in its halo of blue sky.
We picked our way down to the beach, Mike leading the way to a ring of driftwood logs that had obviously been used for parties like ours before. There was a fire circle already in place, filled with black ashes. Eric and the boy I thought was named Ben gathered broken branches of driftwood from the drier piles against the forest edge, and soon had a teepee-shaped construction built atop the old cinders.
โHave you ever seen a driftwood fire?โ Mike asked me. I was sitting on one of the bone-colored benches; the other girls clustered, gossiping excitedly, on either side of me.
Mike kneeled by the fire, lighting one of the smaller sticks with a cigarette lighter.
โNo,โ I said as he placed the blazing twig carefully against the teepee.
โYouโll like this then โ watch the colors.โ He lit another small branch and laid it alongside the first. The flames started to lick quickly up the dry wood.
โItโs blue,โ I said in surprise.
โThe salt does it. Pretty, isnโt it?โ He lit one more piece, placed it where the fire hadnโt yet caught, and then came to sit by me. Thankfully, Jess was on his other side. She turned to him and claimed his attention. I watched the strange blue and green flames crackle toward the sky.
After a half hour of chatter, some of the boys wanted to hike to the nearby tidal pools. It was a dilemma. On the one hand, I loved the tide pools. They had fascinated me since I was a child; they were one of the only things I ever looked forward to when I had to come to Forks. On the other hand, Iโd also fallen into them a lot. Not a big deal when youโre seven and with your dad. It reminded me of Edwardโs request โ that I not fall into the ocean.
Lauren was the one who made my decision for me. She didnโt want to hike, and she was definitely wearing the wrong shoes for it. Most of the other girls besides Angela and Jessica decided to stay on the beach as well. I waited until Tyler and Eric had committed to remaining with them before I got up quietly to join the pro-hiking group. Mike gave me a huge smile when he saw that I was coming.
The hike wasnโt too long, though I hated to lose the sky in the woods. The green light of the forest was strangely at odds with the adolescent laughter, too murky and ominous to be in harmony with the light banter around me. I had to watch each step I took very carefully, avoiding roots below and branches above, and I soon fell behind. Eventually I broke through the emerald confines of the forest and found the rocky shore again. It was low tide, and a tidal river flowed past us on its way to the sea. Along its pebbled banks, shallow pools that never completely drained were teeming with life.
I was very cautious not to lean too far over the little ocean ponds. The others were fearless, leaping over the rocks, perching precariously on the edges. I found a very stable-looking rock on the fringe of one of the largest pools and sat there cautiously, spellbound by the natural aquarium below me. The bouquets of brilliant anemones undulated ceaselessly in the invisible current, twisted shells scurried about the edges, obscuring the crabs within them, starfish stuck motionless to the rocks and each other, while one small black eel with white racing stripes wove through the bright green weeds, waiting for the sea to return. I was completely absorbed, except for one small part of my mind that wondered what Edward was doing now, and trying to imagine what he would be saying if he were here with me.
Finally the boys were hungry, and I got up stiffly to follow them back. I tried to keep up better this time through the woods, so naturally I fell a few times. I got some shallow scrapes on my palms, and the knees of my jeans were stained green, but it could have been worse.
When we got back to First Beach, the group weโd left behind had multiplied. As we got closer we could see the shining, straight black hair and copper skin of the newcomers, teenagers from the reservation come to socialize.
The food was already being passed around, and the boys hurried to claim a share while Eric introduced us as we each entered the driftwood circle. Angela and I were the last to arrive, and, as Eric said our names, I noticed a younger boy sitting on the stones near the fire glance up at me in interest. I sat down next to Angela, and Mike brought us sandwiches and an array of sodas to choose from, while a boy who looked to be the oldest of the visitors rattled off the names of the seven others with him. All I caught was that one of the girls was also named Jessica, and the boy who noticed me was named Jacob.
It was relaxing to sit with Angela; she was a restful kind of person to be around โ she didnโt feel the need to fill every silence with chatter. She left me free to think undisturbed while we ate. And I was thinking about how disjointedly time seemed to flow in Forks, passing in a blur at times, with single images standing out more clearly than others. And then, at other times, every second was significant, etched in my mind. I knew exactly what caused the difference, and it disturbed me.
During lunch the clouds started to advance, slinking across the blue sky, darting in front of the sun momentarily, casting long shadows across the beach, and blackening the waves. As they finished eating, people started to drift away in twos and threes. Some walked down to the edge of the waves, trying to skip rocks across the choppy surface.
Others were gathering a second expedition to the tide pools. Mike โ with Jessica shadowing him โ headed up to the one shop in the village. Some of the local kids went with them; others went along on the hike. By the time they all had scattered, I was sitting alone on my driftwood log, with Lauren and Tyler occupying themselves by the CD
player someone had thought to bring, and three teenagers from the reservation perched around the circle, including the boy named Jacob and the oldest boy who had acted as spokesperson.
A few minutes after Angela left with the hikers, Jacob sauntered over to take her place by my side. He looked fourteen, maybe fifteen, and had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck. His skin was beautiful, silky and russet-colored; his eyes were dark, set
deep above the high planes of his cheekbones. He still had just a hint of childish roundness left around his chin. Altogether, a very pretty face.
However, my positive opinion of his looks was damaged by the first words out of his mouth.
โYouโre Isabella Swan, arenโt you?โ
It was like the first day of school all over again. โBella,โ I sighed.
โIโm Jacob Black.โ He held his hand out in a friendly gesture. โYou bought my dadโs truck.โ
โOh,โ I said, relieved, shaking his sleek hand. โYouโre Billyโs son. I probably should remember you.โ
โNo, Iโm the youngest of the family โ you would remember my older sisters.โ
โRachel and Rebecca,โ I suddenly recalled. Charlie and Billy had thrown us together a lot during my visits, to keep us busy while they fished. We were all too shy to make much progress as friends. Of course, Iโd kicked up enough tantrums to end the fishing trips by the time I was eleven.
โAre they here?โ I examined the girls at the oceanโs edge, wondering if I would recognize them now.
โNo.โ Jacob shook his head. โRachel got a scholarship to Washington State, and Rebecca married a Samoan surfer โ she lives in Hawaii now.โ
โMarried. Wow.โ I was stunned. The twins were only a little over a year older than I was.
โSo how do you like the truck?โ he asked. โI love it. It runs great.โ
โYeah, but itโs really slow,โ he laughed. โI was so relived when Charlie bought it. My dad wouldnโt let me work on building another car when we had a perfectly good vehicle right there.โ
โItโs not that slow,โ I objected.
โHave you tried to go over sixty?โ โNo,โ I admitted.
โGood. Donโt.โ He grinned.
I couldnโt help grinning back. โIt does great in a collision,โ I offered in my truckโs defense.
โI donโt think a tank could take out that old monster,โ he agreed with another laugh.
โSo you build cars?โ I asked, impressed.
โWhen I have free time, and parts. You wouldnโt happen to know where I could get my hands on a master cylinder for a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit?โ he added jokingly. He had a pleasant, husky voice.
โSorry,โ I laughed, โI havenโt seen any lately, but Iโll keep my eyes open for you.โ As if I knew what that was. He was very easy to talk with.
He flashed a brilliant smile, looking at me appreciatively in a way I was learning to recognize. I wasnโt the only one who noticed.
โYou know Bella, Jacob?โ Lauren asked โ in what I imagined was an insolent tone โfrom across the fire.
โWeโve sort of known each other since I was born,โ he laughed, smiling at me again.
โHow nice.โ She didnโt sound like she thought it was nice at all, and her pale, fishy eyes narrowed.
โBella,โ she called again, watching my face carefully, โI was just saying to Tyler that it was too bad none of the Cullens could come out today. Didnโt anyone think to invite them?โ Her expression of concern was unconvincing.
โYou mean Dr. Carlisle Cullenโs family?โ the tall, older boy asked before I could respond, much to Laurenโs irritation. He was really closer to a man than a boy, and his voice was very deep.
โYes, do you know them?โ she asked condescendingly, turning halfway toward him.
โThe Cullens donโt come here,โ he said in a tone that closed the subject, ignoring her question.
Tyler, trying to win back her attention, asked Laurenโs opinion on a CD he held. She was distracted.
I stared at the deep-voiced boy, taken aback, but he was looking away toward the dark forest behind us. Heโd said that the Cullens didnโt come here, but his tone had implied something more โ that they werenโt allowed; they were prohibited. His manner left a strange impression on me, and I tried to ignore it without success.
Jacob interrupted my meditation. โSo is Forks driving you insane yet?โ
โOh, Iโd say thatโs an understatement.โ I grimaced. He grinned understandingly.
I was still turning over the brief comment on the Cullens, and I had a sudden inspiration. It was a stupid plan, but I didnโt have any better ideas. I hoped that young Jacob was as yet inexperienced around girls, so that he wouldnโt see through my sure-to-be-pitiful attempts at flirting.
โDo you want to walk down the beach with me?โ I asked, trying to imitate that way Edward had of looking up from underneath his eyelashes. It couldnโt have nearly the same effect, I was sure, but Jacob jumped up willingly enough.
As we walked north across the multihued stones toward the driftwood seawall, the clouds finally closed ranks across the sky, causing the sea to darken and the temperature to drop. I shoved my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket.
โSo youโre, what, sixteen?โ I asked, trying not to look like an idiot as I fluttered my eyelids the way Iโd seen girls do on TV.
โI just turned fifteen,โ he confessed, flattered.
โReally?โ My face was full of false surprise. โI would have thought you were older.โ
โIโm tall for my age,โ he explained.
โDo you come up to Forks much?โ I asked archly, as if I was hoping for a yes. I sounded idiotic to myself. I was afraid he would turn on me with disgust and accuse me of my fraud, but he still seemed flattered.
โNot too much,โ he admitted with a frown. โBut when I get my car finished I can go up as much as I want โ after I get my license,โ he amended.
โWho was that other boy Lauren was talking to? He seemed a little old to be hanging out with us.โ I purposefully lumped myself in with the youngsters, trying to make it clear that I preferred Jacob.
โThatโs Sam โ heโs nineteen,โ he informed me.
โWhat was that he was saying about the doctorโs family?โ I asked innocently.
โThe Cullens? Oh, theyโre not supposed to come onto the reservation.โ He looked away, out toward James Island, as he confirmed what Iโd thought Iโd heard in Samโs voice.
โWhy not?โ
He glanced back at me, biting his lip. โOops. Iโm not supposed to say anything about that.โ
โOh, I wonโt tell anyone, Iโm just curious.โ I tried to make my smile alluring, wondering if I was laying it on too thick.
He smiled back, though, looking allured. Then he lifted one eyebrow and his voice was even huskier than before.
โDo you like scary stories?โ he asked ominously.
โI love them,โ I enthused, making an effort to smolder at him.
Jacob strolled to a nearby driftwood tree that had its roots sticking out like the attenuated legs of a huge, pale spider. He perched lightly on one of the twisted roots while I sat beneath him on the body of the tree. He stared down at the rocks, a smile hovering around the edges of his broad lips. I could see he was going to try to make this good. I focused on keeping the vital interest I felt out of my eyes.
โDo you know any of our old stories, about where we came from โ the Quileutes, I mean?โ he began.
โNot really,โ I admitted.
โWell, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood โsupposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the ark.โ He smiled, to show me how little stock he put in the histories. โAnother legend claims that we descended from wolves โ and that the wolves are our brothers still. Itโs against tribal law to kill them.
โThen there are the stories about the cold ones.โ His voice dropped a little lower.
โThe cold ones?โ I asked, not faking my intrigue now.
โYes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land.โ He rolled his eyes.
โYour great-grandfather?โ I encouraged.
โHe was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolfโwell, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors.
You would call them werewolves.โ โWerewolves have enemies?โ
โOnly one.โ
I stared at him earnestly, hoping to disguise my impatience as admiration.
โSo you see,โ Jacob continued, โthe cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfatherโs time was different. They didnโt hunt the way others of their kind did โ they werenโt supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldnโt expose them to the pale-faces.โ He winked at me.
โIf they werenโt dangerous, then whyโฆ ?โI tried to understand, struggling not to let him see how seriously I was considering his ghost story.
โThereโs always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if theyโre civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist.โ He deliberately worked a thick edge of menace into his tone.
โWhat do you mean, โcivilizedโ?โ
โThey claimed that they didnโt hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead.โ
I tried to keep my voice casual. โSo how does it fit in with the Cullens ? Are they like the cold ones your great grandfather met?โ
โNo.โ He paused dramatically. โThey are the same ones.โ
He must have thought the expression on my face was fear inspired by his story. He smiled, pleased, and continued.
โThere are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same.
In my great-grandfatherโs time they already knew of the leader, Carlisle. Heโd been here and gone before your people had even arrived.โ He was fighting a smile.
โAnd what are they?โ I finally asked. โWhat are the cold ones?โ He smiled darkly.
โBlood drinkers,โ he replied in a chilling voice. โYour people call them vampires.โ
I stared out at the rough surf after he answered, not sure what my face was exposing.
โYou have goose bumps,โ he laughed delightedly.
โYouโre a good storyteller,โ I complimented him, still staring into the waves.
โPretty crazy stuff, though, isnโt it? No wonder my dad doesnโt want us to talk about it to anyone.โ
I couldnโt control my expression enough to look at him yet. โDonโt worry, I wonโt give you away.โ
โI guess I just violated the treaty,โ he laughed.
โIโll take it to the grave,โ I promised, and then I shivered.
โSeriously, though, donโt say anything to Charlie. He was pretty mad at my dad when he heard that some of us werenโt going to the hospital since Dr. Cullen started working there.โ
โI wonโt, of course not.โ
โSo do you think weโre a bunch of superstitious natives or what?โ he asked in a playful tone, but with a hint of worry. I still hadnโt looked away from the ocean.
I turned and smiled at him as normally as I could.
โNo. I think youโre very good at telling scary stories, though. I still have goose bumps, see?โ I held up my arm.
โCool.โ He smiled.
And then the sound of the beach rocks clattering against each other warned us that someone was approaching. Our heads snapped up at the same time to see Mike and Jessica about fifty yards away, walking toward us.
โThere you are, Bella,โ Mike called in relief, waving his arm over his head.
โIs that your boyfriend?โ Jacob asked, alerted by the jealous edge in Mikeโs voice. I was surprised it was so obvious.
โNo, definitely not,โ I whispered. I was tremendously grateful to Jacob, and eager to make him as happy as possible. I winked at him, carefully turning away from Mike to do so. He smiled, elated by my inept flirting.
โSo when I get my licenseโฆโ he began.
โYou should come see me in Forks. We could hang out sometime.โ I felt guilty as I said this, knowing that Iโd used him. But I really did like Jacob. He was someone I could easily be friends with.
Mike had reached us now, with Jessica still a few paces back. I could see his eyes appraising Jacob, and looking satisfied at his obvious youth.
โWhere have you been?โ he asked, though the answer was right in front of him.
โJacob was just telling me some local stories,โ I volunteered. โIt was really interesting.โ
I smiled at Jacob warmly, and he grinned back.
โWell,โ Mike paused, carefully reassessing the situation as he watched our camaraderie.
โWeโre packing up โ it looks like itโs going to rain soon.โ
We all looked up at the glowering sky. It certainly did look like rain. โOkay.โ I jumped up. โIโm coming.โ
โIt was nice to see you again,โ Jacob said, and I could tell he was taunting Mike just a bit.
โIt really was. Next time Charlie comes down to see Billy, Iโll come, too,โ I promised.
His grin stretched across his face. โThat would be cool.โ โAnd thanks,โ I added earnestly.
I pulled up my hood as we tramped across the rocks toward the parking lot. A few drops were beginning to fall, making black spots on the stones where they landed. When we got to the Suburban the others were already loading everything back in. I crawled into the backseat by Angela and Tyler, announcing that Iโd already had my turn in the shotgun position. Angela just stared out the window at the escalating storm, and Lauren twisted around in the middle seat to occupy Tyler โs attention, so I could simply lay my head back on the seat and close my eyes and try very hard not to think.